and scrooge you too!!

[boodie]

You know, I REALLY REALLY want to commit mayhem on centrelink sometimes..

Beginning of November I got a letter from CL stating they were doing a student review, fair enough, and they wanted from my course provider, date of enrollment, assigments completed, marks, etc etc, so I contacted my course provider, and they for some reason wanted a copy of the letter from CL before they would divulge that information to me. (we wont go into how I already know when i enrolled, which assigments i've done and what marks i've gotten)..

Soo, I sent them a copy of the letter, and to save time asked that instead of them sending me all the information and then me sending it all off to CL,if they could just send straight to CL, they said no problemo, so I went on my merry way... Until I got a letter from CL saying that they hadn't recieved the information and therefore my austudy was suspended..

ARGGHH panic stations, so close to christmas, so I get onto my course provider, and they go "OOOPS' and promise to fax the info forthwith if not sooner, so i don't hear anything for a few days, until I make that phone call earlier this week and do my impersonation of a castrati, and it's all fixed.

Today I get another letter from CL saying 'thank you very much for participating in this VOLUNTARY review'.. So I look it up and yes, voluntary means just that still, and since it was voluntary my payment shouldn't have been suspended in the first place.. So when my phone bill comes in and I have about twelve STD calls to QLD on there, during the expensive part of the day, will centrelink voluntarily pay for those??

I didn't think so.

Comments

[skywize.livejournal.com]

Sounds to me a like a good money-making opportunity - you could sue them for the damages and the stress their supposedly voluntary program caused. You have all the evidence you need.

Naturally it'd be a load of hassle, but if you found the right attorney, he'd do all the work, and take half the profit from it. You'd still get something down the road...

Just a thought. :-)

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

sue a govt dept??

good god... i think i'll try and get the tide to turn back a'la king canute first 8-)

[randomposting.livejournal.com]

*hugs* That really sucks, hon.

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

well its all sorrted now, thankfully, just the extra $20 or so on my phone bill...

[randomposting.livejournal.com]

Still sucky. :(

[wizarth.livejournal.com]

From what I recall of dealing with Centerlink, they have a different definition of voluntary. If I recall correctly, Work For The Dole is voluntary, just if you didn't do it, your payments would be canceled. But hey, you didn't have to do it, they weren't going to lock you up or fine you if you didn't.

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

LOL you know thats probably true.. changing the definitions to suit themselves.